


Matthew 7:8

by xtremeroswellian



Series: 12 Days of Christmas - Third Watch (2004) [2]
Category: Third Watch
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Cowritten with NYPDBosco who doesn't have an account here.
Relationships: Maurice Boscorelli & Faith Yokas
Series: 12 Days of Christmas - Third Watch (2004) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761361
Kudos: 1





	Matthew 7:8

"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."  
-Matthew 7:8

Bosco slowed down the RMP as he pulled into the neighborhood. They'd agreed to start a new Christmas Eve tradition, and had gotten their meal to go, deciding to eat in the car as they drove around looking at Christmas lights. Faith had always liked looking at the different displays and he'd decided it was best just to go along with it. He pulled up to the curb and parked the car.

She glanced over at him and smiled, her eyes full of warmth. "Thanks for agreein' to look at lights. The kids are gettin' too old to wanna do it."

He nodded his head. "No problem." He grabbed his cheeseburger out of the bag that was on the seat between them. "If you want...we could walk around and look after we eat," he suggested.

"That'd be nice." She popped a french fry into her mouth.

Keeping the car running for the heat Bosco slouched in his seat as he unwrapped his burger. "You guys got anything new planned this year, or is it just gonna be a quiet Christmas at the apartment again?"

"The usual. How about you?" She glanced at him.

"Same old, same old," he murmured.

She was quiet for a moment. "Your Mom's going to Jersey again to see your aunt?"

"Yeah." He took a sip of his soda. "She's leaving early in the morning."

Faith gazed at him. "You're not goin' with her?"

He shrugged. "I'd like to, but I don't wanna risk getting stuck there if there's bad weather, ya know? Can't miss work the next day."

She nibbled on a french fry, casting another glance his way. "Well, that settles it then. You're gonna come over to my place."

Bosco chuckled softly. "Oh, that settles it, huh?"

She smiled, glad he hadn't gotten upset with her. "Yep. We'll make a new tradition."

"Another one? I don't know if I can handle another one," he said lightly.

"Not even if it involves Christmas cookies and a bacon and egg breakfast on Christmas morning?"

In the middle of taking a large bite out of his cheeseburger he turned his head to look at her, and raised his eyebrows.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Make up your mind. That offer's only on the table for a few minutes."

Holding up a hand he quickly finished chewing and nodded his head. "I'm there."

"Good." She grabbed another fry.

"Oh, wait." He bit his lip. "What about Fred? You should probably run it by him first, don't you think?"

"Already talked to him."

He raised an eyebrow. "Fred? You talked to Fred? Your husband Fred, and he's okay with it?"

She gave him a look. "No, Boz. Fred Flinstone." Shaking her head in amusement, she grinned. "Yeah, I talked to him about it last night. He's fine with it."

"Wow. Talk about a Christmas miracle," he joked.

"Bosco. He's not -that- bad."

He grinned. "Says you," he chuckled.

She elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

Shaking his head he went back to eating his dinner, a look of amusement in his eyes.

They ate in silence for a few moments. She gazed out the passenger side window. "Boz?"

"Hmm?"

"You ever think about..." Her voice trailed off.

Gazing at her he took a drink of his soda. "Think about what?"

"Matthew," she whispered.

He swallowed hard and nodded his head. "Yeah," he whispered.

She turned her head to look at him, her eyes full of emotions. "You think he's doin' okay?"

Bosco let out a breath. "I hope so. Obviously they have too many cases to keep us updated."

Nodding slightly, she bit her lower lip, facing forward once more, her eyes distant.

"I wonder if we could find out," he said softly.

"You think?"

He shrugged. "We could try, right?"

"Yeah, why not? I mean, it couldn't hurt anything."

"Yeah." He let out a breath. "I wonder if...if that couple from the church adopted him."

"You think we could track down that case worker?" she asked softly.

"Of course." He smirked. "We're cops."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah."

"And we are pretty good at what we do."

"We definitely are." She took a sip of her soda.

"So should we go now?"

"Now? Boz, it's Christmas Eve. There's probably no one even at the DCFS office."

"It was Christmas Eve last year too," he whispered.

She turned to look at him. "Yeah, true," she murmured.

He nodded his head. "We could always stop at the church."

"Yeah...I bet that Priest...what was his name?"

"Father Mannigan," he whispered.

"Yeah. I bet he would know," she whispered.

Bosco put his trash into the take-out bag and sat up a little straighter before putting the RMP in gear.

Drawing in a breath, she fastened her seatbelt once more, watching the snowflakes as they started to tumble from the sky.

They were both quiet as they made the trip to the church where they'd been called the year before. The church where a baby had been dropped off in hopes of the child having a better life with someone else. He parked the car and looked up at the large building. "It's been a long year."

"Yeah, it has," she murmured, gazing up at the church.

"Should we go in?" He glanced at the sign in front of the church and then at his watch. "The next service doesn't start for a couple hours, so if Father Mannigan is around..."

"Yeah. Might as well." She nodded and reached for the door handle.

He blew out a breath and got out of the car. "Man, it's kinda cold out."

"Yeah, I think we're in for some snow."

"Good night for it I guess," he said softly as they haded up the steps.

"Yeah...we'll probably have a white Christmas." She tucked her hands into her coat pockets and followed him up the steps.

Bosco took a deep breath and pulled open the door to the church allowing Faith to enter before him. Once inside he pulled off his winter cap and looked around the large church.

"Thanks," she whispered as she wiped some of the slush off her boots on the rug in front of the door.

Glancing around he spotted the priest amongst the pews, straightening bibles and song books. "Over there," he told Faith softly, nodding in the man's direction.

Nodding slightly, she drew in a breath and walked slowly toward the older man.

"Father Mannigan?" Bosco asked softly when they were a couple feet away.

"Yes?" The priest looked up.

Bosco glanced at Faith then back at Mannigan. "I uh...I don't know if you remember us. I'm Officer Boscorelli and this is my partner..."

"Faith," he finished, recognition in his kind eyes. "I remember."

"We uh...we thought we'd stop by and see if maybe..." Bosco shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Well we were wondering if you knew what happened to Matthew? If he got adopted."

A faint smile touched his lips. "Matthew. Yes. He was adopted. His family attends this church."

"Yeah?" Bosco smiled. "So that couple who couldn't have children got to adopt him?"

Father Mannigan nodded, returning the smile. "Yes. And he's very loved. I've had dinner with them a few times."

He let out a breath, and nodded. "That's really good to hear. Faith and I...well we just...we were thinkin' about him."

"Perhaps..."

Pressing his lips together he waited for the man to continue.

"Well, they'll be attending Midnight Mass tonight."

"Really?" He turned to look at Faith.

She met his gaze, her eyes soft.

"Yes. And I'm sure they would love to meet you."

"You really think so, Father?"

"Absolutely." He nodded.

"Then we'll be here."

"I look forward to it." Father Mannigan shook his hand, then Faith's, as well. "Have a good evening. God bless."

Bosco smiled at the priest then he and Faith turned and headed for the exit.

She was quiet, lost in thought as she followed him to the squad once more.

* * *

Bosco pulled his sweatshirt over his head then pulled his foot up onto the bench to tie his boot. "So you think it's a good idea?"

"I don't know," she admitted softly, brushing her hair as she stood in front of the mirror. "But I wanna see him."

Putting his foot down he turned so he was facing Faith and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands in front of him. "I do too." He was quiet for a moment. "Part of me still..."

"I know," she said softly, meeting his gaze in the mirror. "Me too."

"You think I'm ever gonna get to have kids," he asked in a whisper.

Faith put down her brush and turned to look at him, her eyes soft. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

He blew out a breath. "Unfortunately I'm not getting any younger."

"Bosco, you're not that old either."

"Come on...think about it. If I had a kid today, by the time she's 16 I'll be..."

"Fifty." She smiled.

"See what I mean."

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. "Bosco. Fifty is -not- that old."

"Yeah, not that old, but..." He shrugged.

"Well, you could always have one of my kids." She smiled.

He chuckled. "Yeah. I'm sure that would go over -real- well."

Faith grinned. "Well, you can borrow them whenever you want."

"Thanks...I think."

"Excellent."

Shaking his head Bosco stood up and ran his hands through his hair as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. "You almost ready?"

"Yeah, I think so. I called Fred and let him know we'd be late."

"Mrs. Claus and her friendly elf gonna have to wrap all the gifts again this year?" He questioned as he turned to get his jacket.

"Probably. My guess is Santa will be asleep by the time we get to the North Pole."

"Guess that's part of the tradition," he said as he shrugged into his jacket.

"Looks like." She smiled faintly and slid her coat on, as well.

"I'm glad we went to see Father Mannigan," he told her softly, glancing at himself in the mirror one last time.

"I wonder what the family's like," she murmured.

"Yeah. Me too." He let out a breath. "Well...I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so," she echoed, gazing at him in the mirror.

"Let's go Mrs. Clause," he said lightly.

She smirked, then headed toward the door. "Come along, Elf."

* **

Faith hesitated a moment at the entrance of the church. She hadn't been to church since last Christmas and she wondered if it was somehow wrong that she was there now when so many devoted people were celebrating the holiday.

"You alright?" He asked softly, standing beside her.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm all right."

He rested his hand on the small of her back. "We don't have to do this if you don't want."

"No, I want to, I just..." She looked at him. "Well, you go to church more than I do."

"Not all that often though," he told her softly. "Just a few times a year."

"Still more than I do. Do you think it's okay for me to be here?"

"Of course it is," he whispered. "Nobody's keepin' track of how often a person goes to church."

"You don't think it makes me a hypocrite?" she asked softly.

His eyebrows furrowed. "How so?"

"You know...not goin' to church all year and then..comin' here on Christmas Eve."

"It's the perfect time to come," he told her quietly. "It definitely doesn't make you a hypocrite. I mean...you don't have to go to church to believe or anything."

She gazed at him for a moment. She wasn't used to Bosco being so soft-spoken, though it did tend to happen around Christmas. A faint smile touched her lips. "Thanks."

He nodded his head. "You ready to go in?"

"I think so." She drew in a breath, hesitated a second, then reached down and took his hand.

Bosco gave her hand a squeeze and led her into the church, finding a seat in the back pew like they'd done the year before.

Faith sat silently beside him through Father Mannigan's sermon and she felt tears sparkle in her eyes when the choir stood up and sang "O Holy Night."

He let out a breath and held Faith's hand a little tighter, glancing over at her.

She managed a faint smile as she felt his eyes on her.

"This is my favorite Christmas song," he whispered, leaning closer to her.

"It's one of mine too," she whispered back.

"You've got good taste," he told her.

She looked at him and smiled.

Resting their joined hands on his leg he reached over and patted her hand gently. He liked being able to spend time with Faith on the holidays, and appreciated the fact that Fred was more willing to let Faith spend time with him these days.

She squeezed his hand very lightly and turned her attention back to the choir.

The choir sang a few more songs for the special Midnight Mass then Father Mannigan wished everyone a merry Christmas and the congregation left the church as the choir sang one more song. Bosco and Faith remained seated as the others cleared the building.

Faith held her breath as she saw the priest talking to a young couple, the woman holding a small child, not an infant but not quite a toddler in her arms.

"Should we go over there?" Bosco asked quietly.

"I don't know," she murmured.

"Look at him," he whispered.

"He's a lot bigger than he was."

"Yeah." Bosco nodded his head. Father Mannigan looked over at them, motioning toward them he smiled and the young couple turned to look.

She swallowed hard, squeezing his hand.

When they started to make their way to where they were sitting Bosco slowly stood up. "Come on," he whispered.

Faith stood up as well, reluctantly letting go of his hand. Her eyes locked on the small boy.

"Wow," Bosco murmured. "He really has grown," he said softly as the couple approached with Matthew.

"Yeah, it happens so fast," she whispered.

He felt a little awkward when the couple finally reached them. This wasn't a situation you could prepare for, and since he and Faith really didn't have any reason to be in this child's life it made it even more awkward. He swallowed hard.

"Hi," the woman said very softly. "I'm Marie."

"I'm Bosco--I mean Maurice. This is Faith," he told her, motioning toward his partner.

"It's nice to meet you." She glanced at the man standing beside her. "This is my husband, Anton."

Anton extended his hand, and Bosco shook it firmly. "So, you two are the officers that came to our baby's rescue last year, huh?"

"Well, he was in good hands when we got here," Faith told him, glancing at Father Mannigan."

The priest smiled. "Lucky for me they sent two officers who knew how to handle a baby."

Bosco chuckled. "Well, they sent one," he told them, glancing at Faith.

She smiled and met his eyes, her eyes full of warmth.

"You have kids?" Marie asked.

"Yeah, two. One girl and one boy."

"In a couple years we're hoping to adopt another child," Anton informed them. "A girl." He looked at his wife. "And who knows, we may adopt more after that. We're not gonna let the fact that we can't have children of our own stop us from having a family."

"That's sweet," Faith said softly. "And there are a lot of kids out there who need good homes."

"Definitely," Bosco whispered as he gazed at Matthew who was looking back at him. "Do you think I could..."

Marie glanced at her son, then her husband. "Sure."

Smiling he took a step closer to Marie then bit his lip as the woman transferred Matthew into his arms. "Hey, Champ," he whispered.

The little boy smiled at him, his eyes bright.

"Look at you," he murmured, gently touching the boy's cheek. "You've gotten so big since the last time I held you."

"Hi," Matthew whispered.

"Hi," he whispered back, a smile on this face. He turned to look at Faith. "Did you hear that?"

She smiled, reached out and touched the little boy's arm. "Hi, Matthew," she whispered.

Bosco turned a little so the boy was closer to Faith. "This is my best friend Faith," Bosco told him. "We met you when you were just a baby."

He smiled at her shyly. "Hi."

Faith's eyes sparkled with tears for the second time that night. "Hi, Sweetheart."

Anton put his arm around his wife's shoulders. He'd been a little nervous about the idea of meeting the two officers, but was glad they'd agreed to it. The pair obviously cared a great deal about Matthew even though they'd only been in his life for a few short hours a year ago.

"He's beautiful," she whispered, looking at Matthew's adoptive parents. "And he seems really happy."

"Thank you." He smiled at Faith. "He's the best thing that's happened to us."

"And you to him, obviously." She smiled back.

Marie gazed at the two officers. "Would you two like to have dinner with us sometime?"

Bosco's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah." She offered them a smile.

He looked at Faith for a moment then shifted his gaze back to Marie and Anton as he adjusted his hold on Matthew who had rested his head on Bosco's shoulder. "I know I'd love to," he told them softly.

"Yeah, so would I," Faith said quickly.

"Wonderful." Marie pulled a small notepad out of her purse and jotted down a phone number. "Here's our number. Call us after the holidays and we'll set something up."

"That'd be great." Bosco looked at Matthew. "Whadda you think, Buddy? Maybe I could come over and play sometime?"

Matthew grinned. "Play!"

He chuckled softly and didn't even think about it before pressing a kiss to the child's forehead. "I don't have kids of my own," he told the couple. "So I have to live vicariously through everyone else."

"We understand," Marie told him softly. "We did that for a long time, too."

"I'm hoping that I'll break out of being single one of these days," Bosco said with a smile, surprised that he already felt a connection with these people.

"You will," Faith said, touching his arm.

"You know..."Anton said softly, raising an eyebrow. "Marie's got a sister."

Marie grinned and looked at her husband. "And she's single."

"My point exactly," Anton chuckled.

Bosco chuckled as well. "Maybe I'll get to meet her someday."

"Maybe I'll invite her to dinner the same night the two of you join us."

"I wouldn't object to that," Bosco told her. "As long as she doesn't object to a grown man who likes to roll around on the floor with his little buddy," he said as he tickled Matthew's stomach.

Faith smiled. "And he's serious about that."

Matthew yawned and rested his head on Bosco's shoulder once more. "Looks like somebody's gettin' tired," he said softly.

"Sleepy," he murmured, closing his eyes.

"I bet," he whispered. "Maybe we should let mommy and daddy get you home to bed. The sooner you go to sleep the sooner Santa comes."

"Presents!"

"Yeah. Presents." Bosco smiled at the little boy and gently rubbed his back. "You ready to go home to bed?"

"Yeah." He lifted his head up once more, smiling at Bosco, then reaching for his mom.

Bosco shifted closer to Marie so she could reach her son easier. When he was safely in her arms Bosco ran a hand over Matthew's hair. "You be good. I'll come see you soon, okay?"

"Okay." He smiled once more. "Bye!"

"Bye." Bosco gave the little boy a wave then glanced from Marie to Anton and back again. "Thank you...for taking care of him, and for letting us see him."

"You're welcome," Marie said softly. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Bosco whispered.

"Merry Christmas," Faith echoed softly as she watched the family head out of the church.

Running a hand through his hair Bosco let out a breath.

"He really seems happy," she whispered.

"Yeah." He nodded his head. "And they both seem really nice."

"Yeah. Yeah, they do." She glanced at him. "I think Matthew got really lucky."

"He's such a sweet kid," he whispered.

She smiled softly. "You guys connected."

"Yeah, as soon as I mentioned the word 'play'."

She chuckled.

"It did seem like he felt comfortable with me though," he said quietly.

"Yeah. It did."

"It was nice...holdin' him."

Faith gazed at him, then wordlessly slid her arms around his waist.

Smiling softly he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head.

"What do you say we go to my place...wrap some presents, have some cookie and hot chocolate and maybe watch a movie?"

"That sounds really good. I really like bein' able to spend time with you," he told her softly.

"I like spending time with you, too." She pulled away to look at him. "You're my best friend. You know that right?"

"Of course. And you're mine."

She smiled. "Merry Christmas, Boz."

"Merry Christmas, Faith," he whispered.

She kissed his cheek, then took his hand, leading him toward the door.

"So these gifts we're wrapping...any of 'em for me?"

"Yours are already wrapped," she informed him.

"That's too bad."

"You'll get 'em in about...six hours when the kids get up."

He nodded. "I'll think about giving you yours then too," he said lightly.

Faith grinned, elbowing him lightly. "Cute."

"I know." He squeezed her hand. "Come on, Mrs. Claus."

Shaking her head, she squeezed his hand back as they exited the church, snow fluttering all around them.

***

Faith sat curled up on the sofa beside Bosco as they watched 'It's a Wonderful Life' together. It had taken them nearly three hours to wrap all the packages and put them out under the tree and though they'd talked about just going to sleep, there was something about watching a Christmas movie a few hours before the morning dawned that was too appealing to let pass.

Bosco yawned and shifted positions slightly, pulling the blanket up some as he relaxed a little more into the sofa. He looked over at Faith and smiled softly.

She smiled, as well. "Tired?"

He nodded. "I don't really feel like sleepin' though."

"What do you feel like doin'?"

Shrugging he turned to look at the television once more. "I don't know...kinda just like sittin' here with you."

She smiled faintly and focused her attention on the TV again, as well.

He let out a breath. "I feel better," he told her. "I didn't think...Well I guess I didn't realize how much I thought about him."

She turned the volume down a little and shifted so she was sitting sideways on the sofa. "We see a lot of kids in crappy situations, but...he's the one that always stuck out in my mind, too."

Resting his hands in his lap he looked down at them for a moment. "I think it just had to do with it being Christmas Eve, ya know? I mean...it's supposed to be such a good day and..."

Faith's eyes were sad. "Yeah. I know...but it turned out good. Marie and Anton seem really nice. Matthew seems happy."

He nodded and slowly turned his head to look over at her. "Sometimes...I wonder about his mother," he whispered.

She was silent for a moment. "Yeah. Yeah, me too."

"I just can't stop myself from thinking that there's this women out there...or young girl, who needs our help but we don't know who she is."

Biting her lower lip, she rested her elbow on the back of the couch, propping her head up on one hand. "We can't save everybody," she whispered.

A sad smile touched his lips. "Doesn't make me try any less."

"I know." She hesitated, then reached out and touched his arm.

He blew out a breath. "But who knows. Maybe Matthew getting a good home, maybe that helped the woman more than we realize."

"We may never know why...but we can hope that it was for the best."

Picking at a string on the blanket that was draped over their legs he was silent, lost in thought.

Faith gazed at him for a moment, then shifted her gaze to the window, watching the snow falling steadily outside. "You wanna go outside?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Outside?"

"Yeah." A smile tugged at her lips. "Play in the snow."

"I haven't played in the snow in...well, for a long time."

"Me either," she admitted.

"And you're serious? You wanna go outside right now and play in the snow?"

"Yeah...why not?"

"Should we wake up the kids?"

"No...they'd never go back to sleep."

Bosco grinned. "You better bundle up."

She grinned, as well. "You too." She stood up, a rush of giddiness washing over her as she grabbed her winter coat.

Pushing the blanket aside he quickly followed her, shrugging his coat on as he shoved his feet into his boots that were by the door. "I can't believe we're doin' this."

Faith almost chuckled at the excitement in his voice. She tugged on her gloves, pulled her hat on and unlocked the door quietly.

He put his hand on the door, his expression growing serious. "Now Faith, you do realize that once we get outside I'm not gonna be the kind and gentle soul that's before you now. I may get a little...rowdy."

She raised her eyebrows. "I would expect no less."

"Okay. As long as we're clear on that." He removed his hand from the door and motioned for her to exit.

"Oh, and Boz?"

"Yeah?"

Faith turned to look at him once they were in the hallway and the door was shut. "Last one outside's a rotten egg!" Without giving him a chance to respond, she took off down the stairs.

"Hey!" He hurried after her, laughing as he went.

She chuckled as she made it out the door first.  
"That's not fair," he told her as he hopped down off the step and onto the snow covered sidewalk. "Cheater."

"You're just gettin slow."

He raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"You're not quite the gazelle you used to be," she teased.

"Oh no." He shook his head. "It's more the fact that it's Christmas and I didn't want to make you feel bad."

"Riiight." She grinned.

"So where we gonna go? The park?"

"Sure." They started walking side-by-side toward Central Park.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course." She glanced at him.

"Do you ever wish that you'd had another kid? I mean...you know if timing and everything was right, would you have?"

Faith immediately fell silent for a moment, her guard instantly raising as she thought about when she almost did have another child. "If the timing and the circumstances had been different, I would have."

He looked at her. "I didn't mean anything by it," he told her softly. "I was just wondering."

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to relax.

"Really, Faith," he whispered. "I was just curious."

"I know."

They walked a little ways in silence before he spoke again. "I'm gonna find someone and settle down. Start a family."

"Maybe you'll hit it off with Marie's sister," she said softly.

He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't know. I mean, how likely is it that I'd actually settle down with someone who's basically handed to me, ya know? It can't be that easy."

"No," she agreed, looking up at the falling snow, sadness in her eyes.

A soft chuckle escaped him. "I swear, I have to be the most depressing guy around the holidays."

"No." She shook her head slightly. "The holidays make most people feel kinda depressed."

"You know how you used to feel as a kid when you wanted something so bad for Christmas and you didn't get it?"

"Yeah." Her voice was soft.

"Each year that passes...that feeling gets a little stronger," he told her quietly. "But this coming year, I think it's gonna get better."

"What makes you think so?" She glanced over at him curiously.

"I don't know. Just a feeling I guess. After seeing how happy Matthew is after he was in a situation that seemed so dim..." Bosco shrugged. "There's no reason things can't work out for me."

Faith was silent for a moment. "I'm sure you're right. You're gonna find the right person and settle down, have a family. Be happy."

"Promise me something."

"What's that?"

"That when I find that person and I've got a family of my own, that we'll still have our traditions."

A smile touched her lips. "You bet." She was quiet for a moment. "And promise me something."

"I'll see what I can do," he told her with a small smile.

Faith slipped her hands into her pockets. "If anything...changes...you're not gonna get mad at me and cut me out of your life."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Changes? Why would I get mad at you if things changed?"

She shrugged, not looking at him.

"Is somethin' going on?" He asked softly.

She was silent for a few minutes. "I don't know. Maybe."

Pausing in his steps he reached out and put his hand on her arm, stopping her from walking any farther. His eyes were questioning.

She drew in a breath, and reluctantly met his eyes. "I think that...I mean, I don't have any proof really, but..."

He shook his head slightly, confused. "Proof of what?"

"I think that...Fred may be havin' an affair," she whispered.

His eyes widened and he just stared at her for a moment.

She swallowed hard, slowly lowering her gaze to the snow-covered ground.

Bosco's hands clenched into fists and his body grew tense. "That son-of-a-bitch," he mumbled.

"I don't know for sure," she whispered.

"Why do you think he's...you know."

She drew in another breath and looked away. "He's been really distant...he hasn't touched me in weeks." She bit her lower lip. "There's been...hang up calls. A lot of 'em, some in the middle of the night."

"Dammit." He was quiet for a moment. "You thought about hiring a P.I.?"

"No." She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, I'm a cop. I should be able to do this myself."

"I'll take care of it," he told her softly.

She looked up at him in surprise. "Bosco..."

"The way I see it we got a couple options. I can do a little investigative work and see what's going on or...I can flat out ask him. Save everybody some time."

Faith bit her lower lip, looking away.

"You just tell me what to do, Faith, and I'll do it."

She let out a breath. "I don't know that he'd cop to it if you did ask. But then again...I don't know."

He nodded his head. "Give me a few days, okay? I'll find out what's going on."

"Thanks," she whispered, her eyes sad.

Bosco met her gaze. "Whatever I find out. Whatever happens. Don't think for one second that I won't be there for you."

She managed a faint, fake smile. "I know."

"You know somethin' else?"

"What's that?"

Needing to lighten the mood he bent down and scooped up a handful of snow. "I'm not afraid to throw the first snowball."

Her eyes widened a little. "You wouldn't."

Bosco nodded his head. "Oh, I definitely would."

She backed away from him, quickly kneeling and grabbing a handful of snow herself.

He didn't waste any time before pelting her with the snowball. A chuckle escaped him when it hit her and then he took off toward the park.

"Oh, payback is a bitch!" she called after him, chasing him as she shook snow out of her hair.

"Really?" He hollered over his shoulder. "I haven't met her yet!"

"You're going to!"

"Dream on!"

When she was close enough, she heaved the snowball at him, and it smacked him in the shoulder.

He stopped and turned around. "Is that the best you can do?" He asked with a chuckle.

"You just wait." She grinned.

"How long am I gonna have to wait?" He looked at his watch. "I mean for cryin' out loud you throw like a girl. My grandmother could--"

She tackled him.

His eyes widened as he went down and the impact caused the air to leave his lungs. The next thing he knew he was lying in a pile of snow with Faith on top of him, and he couldn't help but laugh.

She laughed as well, her eyes bright. "Shouldn't have said I threw like a girl."

"You do though," he chuckled. "Total sissy."

She raised her eyebrows, scooped up a handful of snow and held it up over his head.

Bosco started to shake his head. "Faith."

"Take it back."

"S-i-s-s-"

Smirking, she shoved the snow against his face.

Knowing he deserved it he just turned his head to the side and laughed. "That's cold!"

"It is snow, Boz."

"Really? Is that what this stuff is?" Reaching to the side he grabbed a handful of snow and looked at it before shifting his gaze back to her.

She quickly grabbed another handful of snow as well.

"Put it down, Faith."

"Make me," she challenged.

"If you know what's best for you, you'll put the snow down."

Faith smirked again and dropped the snow on his neck.

"If that's the way you want it." He dropped the snow and grabbed hold of her arms, quickly rolling them over so that she was lying in the snow.

She chuckled, looking up at him. "Now what?"

He stared down at her. "I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Now why am I not surprised?"

"Ha. Ha."

Her eyes sparkled and she smiled at him.

Looking at her a wide smile stretched across his face. He grabbed a handful of snow and held it over her. "I heard payback is a bitch."

"So is not having any gifts to open on Christmas morning."

"You play dirty," he informed her.

"So I've heard."

"It's why I like you," he teased.

She chuckled.

"And Faith?"

"Yeah?"

Leaning down he whispered in her ear, "I play dirty too." He then smashed the snow onto her face.

She spit snow out of her mouth and turned her head, coughing as she laughed at the same time.

"You okay?" He asked softly.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Gazing at her he nodded his head.

She shivered as the cold snow began to seep into her skin.

"Gettin' cold?" He questioned softly, though the answer was obvious.

A smile tugged at her lips. "Master of the obvious."

"We've all got something we're good at," he said lightly. Standing up he reached his hand out to help her up.

She eyed him suspiciously.

His eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"I don't know if I should trust you to help me up."

"Fine." He crossed his arms over his chest, a smile on his face.

She smirked and slowly climbed to her feet, brushing some of the snow off her jeans.

Bosco shrugged. "I coulda helped ya."

"Yeah, well, I didn't wanna risk being face down in a snow bank."

"Never face down. Mikey always used to tell me it was too hard to breath that way," he told her with a chuckle.

Shaking her head, she couldn't help smile. "My brother used to do that to me, too."

"Big brothers are jerks."

"Yes, they are."

"But you love us anyway, right?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You and my brother?"

"Well...in addition to big brothers throughout the world."

Faith shrugged. "Most of the time."

Crossing his arms over his chest he gave her a look. "Uust most of the time?"

A grin tugged at her lips, but she suppressed it. "Okay, that was overstating it I guess. Some of the time."

"Fine. Whatever," he said in mock anger, turning his back and walking away.

A soft chuckle escaped her.

"Oh you're laughin' at me now?"

"Hard not to sometimes."

Turning to look at her, he gave her his best puppy dog look. "That's not nice."

She grinned and walked over to him. "Don't give me that look."

"I don't know what look you're talking about."

"Oh, you know -exactly- what look I'm talking about. It's your wounded puppy look."

He stuck his bottom lip out a little more.

"Exactly."

Bosco smiled. "Oh that look."

"Yeah. That look." She shook her head in amusement.

"It's good to know it still works," he told her with a chuckle.

She poked him in the ribs.

He pulled back a little. "Admit you love me all the time," he said lightly.

"Why would I do that?" she asked just as lightly.

"Because it's Christmas and you want me to know how much you love me," he told her with a smirk.

Chuckling, she grinned. "Oh, I do huh?"

He nodded his head. "And you also want to apologize for pushing me in the snow."

She chuckled again. "You're pushin' it."

He tapped his foot impatiently. "Apologize."

"Or you'll do what?"

"Well let's just say that I can't be held responsible for my actions."

"Oh, I'm really worried about that."

"You should be. Wouldn't want a sissy like you---"

"I think you remember what happened the last time you called me that."

"You mean the last time I called you a -sissy-."

"That's right." She narrowed her eyes.

"Even a sissy like you is allowed a little beginner's luck," he said, a twinkle in his eye.

"You get a three second head start."

Bosco rolled his eyes. "Like I need a---"

She lunged toward him, tackling him to the ground for the second time.

As he toppled backward he wrapped his arms around her, and as he laid flat on his back he laughed. Being tackled wasn't exactly pain free, but he hadn't had this much fun with Faith in a long time and if it got her mind off of Fred that was even better.

She grinned, resting her head on his chest for a moment without even thinking about it.

His body shook as he continued to laugh. "You're one tough sissy."

She lifted her head up and began to tickle him in the ribs.

"Faith!" He swatted at her hands.

Chuckling, she continued to tickle him, dodging his efforts to stop her.

"Faith. Faith...stop," he laughed. His eyes were closed and his face was bright red.

After a moment, she decided to show some mercy. "Okay. I'll stop. For now."

When she finally stilled her hands he relaxed into the snow and let out a breath.

She moved off of him and lay down in the snow beside him, looking up at the sky.

"You're so mean," he said lightly.

"I try."

"Yeah, see, and I love you anyway."

A smile tugged at her lips. "No, you don't."

He turned his head to look at her. "What do you mean I don't?"

"You like me, but you don't love me."

"No. See, if I only liked you there's no way in hell I'd let you tackle me in the snow twice."

"Let me?" She chuckled. "I totally caught you off guard both times."

"I egged you on. I knew what you were gonna do. I let you."

"Sure you did."

"I did. Because I love you."

Faith smiled and turned her head to look at him.

"I get depressed and sappy around the holidays," he told her with a soft smile. "So you better take what you can get."

"I will." Her voice was soft. "And for the record...I love you, too."

"I knew it," he said softly.

"Well, that's good. I'm glad."

"I really like hanging out with you, Faith. Joking around. Being serious. All of it."

Her eyes were full of warmth. "Yeah. Me too. It's nice to be able to hang out when we're not at work."

"We should do it more often."

"I'd like that."

Turning on his side he propped himself up on an elbow and gazed at her.

Faith held his gaze. "What?"

"Nothin'," he whispered.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You sure?"

"Merry Christmas, Faith," he told her quietly.

She turned on her side so she was facing him, as well. "Merry Christmas," she whispered.


End file.
